Startup Company Introduces A Smart Motorbike Brake Light

A newly-established startup company based in California is promoting a smart motorbike brake light that can be mounted on any helmet without needing to be installed on the motorbike. The Brake Free operates independently, signaling motorists whenever the bike decelerates even when the rider has not actually applied any brakes.

Because they have a smallish and often single tail-light, many motorbikes do not get adequate attention from other road users. There have been a number of attempted solutions to this safety problem. Examples of such solutions include the Stoptix brake light, the license-plate-based brake light system by Vololight, or the dynamic brake light by BMW.

Brake Free takes it further, by putting an added brake light on the rear part of a rider’s helmet. This essentially means that the brake light is positioned closer to the eye level of many of the other drivers. Consisting of 100 extra-bright LEDs, Brake Free has a built-in gyroscope sensor and an accelerometer. It is fully autonomous, eliminating the hassle of requiring to be connected to the bike in any way.

It has sensors that are able to detect a vehicle’s deceleration, irrespective of whether this is a consequence of engine braking or actual braking.The Brake Free is built with a broad viewing angle of 120 degrees and therefore it should be clearly visible to any vehicle behind the motorbike.

When it is turned on, the Brake Free creates an additional red light on the helmet that may be set to either flashing or continuous modes. For both modes, the device’s light intensity will sharply increase if the sensors detect any deceleration. Even when it is set to continuous mode, it will begin flashing when the emergency brakes are applied.

Powered by a lithium ion 2.600 mAh rechargeable battery, it can operate for 8 hours before requiring to be recharged (a process that takes two hours). It conforms to IP64 weatherproofing standards, weighs only 6 ounces (or 170 grams) and needs an installation area of just 162 millimeters by 83 millimeters (6.38 inches by 3.28 inches) at the back of the rider's helmet.

The Brake Free is held in place by two neodymium magnets which are in turn secured by adhesive mounts that come with the helmet. This simplified setup enables the rider to use the device on more than one helmet after purchasing additional magnetic mounts which are sold for US$ 10 PER pair. The designers believe that it should fit the majority of the helmets that are in the market, and it is completely safe during accidents since its mount will detach before its drag can pose any danger.

It is projected that the Brake Free brake light will become available from April 2018, and it will retail at $149.This is due to an exceedingly successful Indiegogo campaign that has nearly doubled its original target of $50,000, with 8 days still to go. Check out the campaign video attached below and in case you are interested, you could get yourself a Brake Free for the late entry price of $109. Obviously, that is the assumption that everything goes as planned, something that can never be guaranteed when it comes to crowdfunding campaigns.